Commander Fox and the Pursuit of Ahsoka Tano
by LongLiveTheClones
Summary: Commander Fox reflects upon the pursuit of Ahsoka Tano. Brief appearances by Rex, Wolffe and the WolfPack. Cover art by gloryblaz.


_A/N: OK, I haven't seen the Season Finale yet. But, anyway, this is something I wrote in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep based upon To Catch a Jedi" story arc. It expands upon the relationship in my previous story 'Commander Fox Gets a Day Off.' No need to read that one first. Just know Fox has a significant other, Linge. And, yes, she is a Zeltron. Lucky him. The events are mainly told from Fox's POV, and the effects that Ahsoka's actions have on him personally, although after he falls asleep, we briefly see the reactions of an ordinary Coruscanti citizen, (Fox's girlfriend.)_

**Commander Fox**

**Long Day**

There was no reason for him to stay at the prison facility.

Commander Wolffe and Captain Rex insisted on staying and guarding the Jedi prisoner. It seemed that every time he turned around in the control room, he kept bumping elbows with a member of the seemingly ever-present WolfPack. It was enough to make even a clone feel claustrophobic.

"I'm headed out," Fox finally announced in frustration shortly after 0100, grabbing his helmet. He winced at how harsh and grating his declaration came out. Rex glanced his way and quirked up and eyebrow. He used to get along with the 501st Captain quite well. But, ever since Commander Tano had attacked _his_ guards, he and Rex had been at odds.

Rex kept insisting she didn't do it. He seemed to be taking it all personally. Yet, in the same breath he made the all-points bulletin to all clones announcing his commander had "killed three clones" and was "armed and dangerous." Fox shook his head as he looked at Rex. He didn't him. Rex narrowed his eyes and scowled as he regarded Fox in return. Leave it to a Jedi to ruin a perfectly good clone friendship.

Maybe when this was all over he could patch things up with Rex.

He sighed, and clipped his helmet to his belt as he signed himself out.

He wasn't sure what would happen to that commander. What did they do to Jedi who went bad? Krell had been executed, but that had been done by a clone.

_Not a bad idea, all in all..._

He wondered what had happened to that clone. He wasn't locked up at the prison facility here. So, what did they do to him? Reconditioned, maybe? Maybe when he was on speaking terms with Rex again he could ask him.

_Although, that probably wouldn't be the best conversation starter to break the ice._

He shook his head again, turning away from Rex's icy glare. Wolffe was also regarding him with a cool look. Although, Wolffe _always_ looked like that. He wasn't sure how the WolfPack remained standing working with him day in and day out.

_Osik. Wolffe could freeze the shebs off any clone with just one look. _

Fox repressed the urge to shudder under Wolffe's tough glare and instead met the look with one of his own.

_I can give it as well as you can, Wolffe. Bring it on._

He shook his head as he finished signing out and left the room. Ever since they'd arrived back from the undercity, the control room had been as silent as a tomb. Gone was the usual light-hearted banter that abounded whenever group of clones gathered. Something seemed to have fundamentally changed tonight and they were all feeling it. Heavy oppressive silence was hanging everywhere like a shroud. Fox felt like he was suffocating, and he just needed to get _out. _Even if it was only for a few hours. He walked briskly down the corridor, but couldn't help taking the long way around.

He paused at the corridor where three of his guards, all good brothers, had been sliced in half by the rogue Jedi. A small scrubber droid was still working at removing a stubborn stain. Clone blood.

He knelt down and bowed his head in remembrance of his fallen guardsmen.

Rex insisted she was a good commander. She cared about his men. He scoffed bitterly.

_Well, she certainly cared nothing about the men of the Coruscanti Guard. She proved that when she dismembered them like they were Nerf Steak. _

Maybe she only cares about clones who wear 501st blue. Or, clones that she knows well. Or, maybe she doesn't care about clones at all anymore. Who knows? The fact remains that he had dead guardsmen because of a rogue Jedi.

He sighed, and felt an awful painful aching in his gut and continued on down the corridor. He had someplace to be.

# # #

He crept quietly into the apartment letting himself in with the familiar access code. It was late, well past the hour when he was supposed to arrive. A light clicked on.

"You're late."

"I know," he sighed. He tugged off his burgundy and white helmet and set it down on the table. He leaned down and gave the drowsy Zeltron on the couch a long, lingering kiss. His lips lingered and he almost didn't straighten up again. Once he started kissing her, it was always so difficult to stop again. With considerable restraint, he stopped himself and continued on to the bedroom so that he could shed the rest of his armor. She followed him and watched from the doorway as he quickly stripped down and changed into a loose fitting pair of sleep pants.

"You know you won't be wearing those very long," she said with a smirk, gazing appreciatively as his bare chest.

He smiled back at the Zeltron, but there was something about the gesture this evening that was sad.

"Fox, what's wrong?"

He blew out a long breath and slipped an arm around Linge drawing her close. "Just a long night. It's nothing." He held her for a long moment, just breathing in her scent as if trying to chase away bad memories.

The Zeltron wasn't fooled and pushed back, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Alright, Fox, I _know_ you. Something happened at work today. What is it?"

The Coruscanti Guard Commander closed his eyes in anguish. She did know him. She was the only one who truly did. His voice was just a harsh whisper, "I lost three guardsmen."

She squeezed his arm in sympathy, "I'm sorry, Fox." She gazed at him carefully, "But, there's more. You've lost men before and it didn't hit you this hard."

His eyes flew up to hers as the mark struck home, and he shared the rest, "They were killed by one of our own."

The Zeltron gasped and put a hand up to her mouth, "How is that possible?! Another clone?"

"No," Fox's face turned cold and angry and he pulled from grasp, turning away, "it was a _Jedi_." He spat the last word with disdain as if the word suddenly tasted like acid in his mouth.

"A Jedi?!" Linge gasped and took a step so that she was in Fox's line of sight again. "But Jedi... they are..."

The clone commander laughed bitterly and his eyes flew to hers, "They are what? Good? I've been taught all the same things as you about Jedi and none of them seem to apply anymore. A Jedi killed three of my men. A _padawan_, no less. She _dismembered_ them." His voice was harsh and angry, and then his face twisted with confusion, "I don't get it. I had just been talking to her, and none of it seems to add up..."

Linge leaned her head up against his chest, rubbing her head tails into the hard ridges of chest muscle. Some of the tension immediately left his frame. Fox sighed with pleasure. "Maybe there is more going on than it seems," she murmured.

"I don't know," the clone commander sighed, leaning down to rub his chin on top of Linge's head, "it's all so confusing. It feels as if my entire world has been turned on its head tonight."

"Not everything," the Zeltron began gently guiding Fox toward the bed, "come on. You're exhausted. You need to sleep."

The clone commander nodded, and allowed Linge to guide him down onto the bed. He snaked a wrist out and grabbed his gauntlet, looking at his chrono to calculate how much time he had before he'd have to hightail it back to the command center.

Linge saw his glance, "What time do you have to be back?"

"0530," he yawned tiredly, "I have a briefing. I'm free until then."

"I won't let you oversleep," the Zeltron promised. "I'll make you breakfast before you go. "

"Just caf is fine," Fox murmured sleepily.

The Zeltron laughed, "You need to eat. I know your metabolism. I'm feeding you, love. Now sleep. You're exhausted."

"Uh," the clone commander just grunted since he was already drifting off to sleep.

It was rare that they didn't make love before bed. But, the Zeltron actually treasured these nights just as much as their nights of passion. She leaned up against the headboard and just watched her lover sleep, occasionally leaning down to trail her fingers through his silky dark hair.

She stayed awake, thinking over everything he had said and carefully watching the chrono since there wasn't much time before she had to get up and start preparing breakfast. She didn't want him to be late for his briefing. As it was, she only saw Fox once or twice a week now. He couldn't get away any more than that, so their hours together seemed to be fewer and fewer. She treasured every moment and did everything she could to preserve their relationship.

A Jedi killing clones? She would have to talk this over with her friends in the morning and see if they could make any sense of these happenings. Maybe she could post it up on her social media holo. If she got a lot of different opinions from her friends all around Coruscant, then perhaps it would become more clear. These were troubling times indeed.

Linge tossed it over and over in her head and decided she wasn't going to wait until morning. Careful not to disturb the slumbering Fox, she reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her datapad. She flicked the screen on and then immediately dimmed it. Her lover had senses to rival those of a Zeltron and slept very lightly. She quickly pursued the latest headlines in her social media holo and finding nothing of interest immediately posted her hot news.

'Learned something very troubling about the Jedi and I'm not sure what to think...'

# # #


End file.
